The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-26
SOUTHERN CONVICT LABOR
Thousands of Prisoners for Whose Work
the State Receives Ten Cents Day.
The Stockade Near Birmingham-Plenty of
Shotguns and Bloodhounds the Preventive
of Escape and Means of Recapture.

little valleys which cut their way through the
coal mountains, is the convict miners stockade
! 1t is not An elaborate prison. The outside is OF
| hemlock boards, built up to height of some
| twenty-five feet, and made to do service as the
| outer wall of tier of cells while inside is a
sandy quadrangle. barren of either shrub or
grass, and BANNED in by walls that would be
barren also If it were not for the occasional
openings Of cell doors and the elimpses OF rough
| furniture inside Above the ugly doorway is
guard house and little rallied platform for the
guard, and leading from it is a long corridor OF
heavy boards set on end, and leading mp the
steep hillside is the opening Of the mine
Every morning tho men are marched through
the corridor to work, and every evening back
again through the doorway and quadrangle to
their cells Near the guard house walks SEN
tinel, always with his shotgun. looking as if it
were more ready for instant business than the
regular penitentiary weapon, while on the other
side Of the stockade other guards with the
same guns and the same murderous way OF car
ryipg them. 1t needs only the dead-line when
the men are huddl-d inside in the evening to
make the resemblance to Andersonville COM
plete.
The stockade itself has absolutely nothing in
it to describe. The cells in an upper and lower
tier, with no outside windows and no open
ing but their grated doors toward the quadran-
gle avenue. each supposed to hold four men.
They have hunks and q little bit OF necessary
furniture, and some of the convicts have deco
rated them with pictures from the illustrated
papera They don't look inviting-cels very
rarely debut they are as clean and comfort
able as could be expected. Off toward one cor
ner is the kitchen, in another the guards
quarters, and near the front are the rooms where
the new miners make the acquaintance OF their
keepers
Ontsida the cround sIopes toward a little creek
side and up toward the railroad on the
other, and all around as far as the eye can reach
stunted trees, which look like the beginning
of a wilderness. During the past week half the
men have been working on new coal-breaker
to replace the one just destroyed by fire. Gangs
Of them work along the railroad track with
| swarms Of others Chamber over the beams and
| roof of the breaker, hammering, saving, and
mailing down boards and always within range
| of the plentiful shotguns- few weeks ago one
| of the iong-term men got away about the time
| the gangs were being marched back to the
stockade for dinner. None of the guards knew
| how he had eluded them. but he was not to be
| found in the cells stockade, and they COM
| menced their regular fugitive hunt. Ittook
| noticed until the bloodhounds were bayirg
around the breaker, and ten minutes more
| until one of the animals had found the
| trail and started up the mountain. They
keep the time for such things pretty ac-
curately. and when the poor fellow was led back
between shotguns to his cell in the evening. the
! other prisoners found that it took just one hour
and half to overcome his start of hour and to
get him up tree The jig was up then. OF
course and he came down without much per-
suaslon as as the hounds were called of. 1t
looks like a barbarous business to hunt men
with bIoodhounds that way, but the guards are
very complacent about It. They say that the
hounds never tear a man if he is reasonably
smart and that when they come in sight he
usually gives up, climbs fence or tree. and
waits till the guards make it safe for him to
come down. The prisoners naturally hate the
unerring scent of the hounds, but they really
are rot much afraid Of them. They know that
capture is almost certain, and, as the guards
say, very rarely make it necessary to call them
out. One little negro here, partially lame, but
q marvellous runner over the mountain paths
actually practices the bloodhounds often He
takes ten minutes start and in more timesVhan
will be believed gets back to the mines SAFE
with the hounds still in the woods snuffing along
the little streams for his trail.
This man hunting with the dogs and shot-guns
is the worst feature of the convict labor manage
ment. Outside of it the men are well treated.
They talk to everybody who comes into the
camp beg for cigars or money: and seem to have
unlimited opportunities for loafng so long as
they don't cross the lines.
How long are you in for7' said to fat,
broad chested. notwithstanding darby, who
wanted just one cigar.
1.-TWO years. boss" he grinned, lust for 1T
tie fight down in town"
Sand how do you like itP
''WeIl, boss" said he taking off his hat and
scratching his wool refec lively, Use got no use
for dis place, but Use got to stay, 'spose. and
dere's no use kickin'"
PLENTY to eatl"
''Yes sab; but plenty Of work"
This philosopher was one of gang who were
WORKING on the railroad track, putting in
ties where the old ones had been charred. He
good natured, careless. evidently short In
comm sense. and altogether one of those char
acterless Southern darkies who equally
thusiastic at free fight or a revival meeting.
He had evidently got his two years for using a
razor. His friends in tie striped garments were
very much like him. Six of the eight were
eroes, as happy over cigar or quarter as if
they had been pardoned, looking just as fit to be
out of jail as the ordinary rolicking plantation
hand. Only one of them had thoroughly bad
face What tho darkies failed to show in vii
famous looks however, was amply made up in
the appearance Of the two white men. They
were thin, sallow. restless, hang-dog looking
scoundrels. who evidently pleased any commu-
nifty they Kept away from. They had no Jokes
for visitors, wish for cigars. and very evil
IDENTIFY no disposition for their work. All over
the camp that difference between the whites and
darkies seemed manifest. The darkes were
making the best OF it, in niue cases out of ten
better fed and lodged than they were at homo,
and growing only about the work while the
whites were sulen. ngly, and disseminated:
Every one of them looked as II he had bad
attack of malaria.
In this outside work about the breaker they
were enjoying a comparative holiday; The
guards watched them carefully, but did not
interfere with their resting. while the gang Of
bosses got along with much less swearing and
driving than tie ordinary street contractor.
They are supposed to work ten hours. In the
mines where they regularly employed they
all were worked eight hours with extra pay for
coal beyond their regular daily requirements.
The Pratt mines. where the work was going
on. partially the property of the Tennessee
Iron. Coal and Railroad Company, which leases
all the convicts in Tennessee and Alabama.
They have had the contract for good many
years. In 1871, when the system COM
menced by Tennessee, they took the entire lot,
about ono thousand men. for five years at
annual payment of $780, 900 and their board,
clothing, and necessaries. In 1887, when this
contract expired, they renewed it for another
term of FIVE years at an annual cost of $40, 900
for l. 100 men. Their last contract was still
more expensive. They paid $101. 900 annually
for another five years renewal and 1900 men.
This number was little more than they could
use in their mines. AID they sub-let the re-
maiuder TO the wagon works at Nashville, which
has been making fortune for its owner, DR..
Waters.
The Alabama contracts are arranged diff
ferent basis. The men divided into three
classes and regular price per month for each.